Crampton eyes worlds result to finish season in style

Matt Crampton wants to end one of his strongest seasons to date by challenging for the podium places at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships.

The 27-year-old has missed out on a place in the team sprint for the competition in Cali, Colombia - Philip Hindes, Jason Kenny and Kian Emadi making up the trio for Great Britain - but is keen to make an impact in the match sprint and keirin events.

Crampton won keirin gold at the second round of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup last December in Mexico after marginally missing out on sprint bronze in November’s opening Manchester round.

And he is now hoping to transfer that form to the Alcides Nieto Patino Velodrome from 26 February-2 March.

“It's been a good season, I've worked on other strengths which has helped my keirin racing and (individual) sprinting,” Crampton said.

“I've been in the game quite a few years now and I've won races on my day, and on my day I can be up there and the goal is to win and try to do everything I can.

“Training has gone really well, we've had three distinct blocks of training. All three of them have gone really well and ticked off what we needed to do so I feel I am in a good position.”

Crampton won keirin gold in the UCI Track Cycling World Cup.

“The sprint was a little unexpected (in Manchester) but the qualifying went well and the rounds went my way so I've just kept building that momentum with the keirin in Mexico.

“Racing was really positive (in Mexico), good tactical decisions, good awareness, and just following through with the plan, just more of the same in the future I hope.”

A European keirin champion in 2011, Crampton suffered a difficult 2013 championships in Minsk, Belarus. After being knocked out of the keirin in the first round, his sprint hopes were ended in the 1/8 finals.

Following the championships, a summer on the grand prix circuit racing in order to qualify for the winter’s UCI Track World Cycling Cup has reaped rewards for Crampton, who also credits a change in approach to his sprinting for his upturn in performance.

“I wanted to try and ride on my gut and input good things in the computer - watching the videos, putting in good tactics and try to make it set-plays a little bit,” Crampton said.

“That way I can just be out there and not be really consciously thinking 'I need to be here', 'I need to be there' and just flow with the race a bit better.

“This year with us having to qualify with the ranking point system and 90 points to qualification process, racing more in the summer has benefited me and helped me with that tactical process.”

A two-time medallist at world championships level in the team sprint, Crampton hopes to open his tally in the individual events.

With a keirin victory already to his name this season, he was quick to dismiss any suggestion of fortune being key in the sometimes chaotic discipline.

“I always believe you create your own luck and you set yourself up for the opportunities to happen,” Crampton said.

“The crashes in Mexico were rough to see, I guess it does change things a little bit how you ride.

“People coming down the inside, dangerous moves, you've got to mindful of that.”